You Should Start To Use The IVR System In Your Office!


Posted on by

Employing people to sit around and answer phones all day can be a costly undertaking for small businesses.

Employing people to sit around and answer phones all day can be a costly undertaking for small businesses.

9852611365_7ba1823ba4

Many businesses are choosing to install the IVR system to enhance their operations. There are many reasons why you should choose a customised IVR solution for your office. At a time when competition in business is high, enhancing efficiency and improving operations can go a long way in giving your business an edge. Following are some benefits of having IVR in your office.

1. Enhancing office automation

Using technology in the office can help to enhance the way you do business in many ways. If you have sophisticated software around your office to enhance different functions, you can extend this to your communication system. The IVR system will offer automation benefits to the callers, which helps to enhance communication. You can use the system to provide information about the company while directing the callers efficiently.

2. Enhance call efficiency

Being able to attend to calls at the first ring can save the company and the caller time and money. No one wants to be kept on hold and the system can help to enhance user experience. By attending to calls immediately, you save precious time and this means that you save money as well. It is not possible for a human being to pick up so many calls at the first ring for hours on end but fortunately, the IVR system can do this effortlessly. The machine can work 24 hours a day and will always sound fresh without the “tired voice” at the end of the day.

3. Using multiple languages

Having the IVR system is great if you have callers who do not speak English. The system has multilingual greetings depending on the caller ID and it can choose the language to use by identifying the callers language. This can make the caller feel comfortable and it helps to improve communication. By making your customers feel at home when they call your business, you can get an edge over your competitors. This also helps to reduce the calling time.

4. Making personalised greetings

The system makes personalised greeting to your known callers making them feel important every time they call. If the caller ID is known to the IVR system, it will greet the caller with his or her first name. It can even wish the caller happy birthday or happy anniversary if he or she happens to call your office on that day. While this might not be essential, it can go a long way in creating a good image about your business because you can come across as caring about your customers.

5. Round the clock service

The IVR system works 24 hours a day, meaning that calls will never go unanswered. Apart from presenting necessary information, the system also stores messages and it can alert designated persons automatically in case of an emergency. Depending on the service, the system can also help callers by giving out emergency instructions.

These are just some of the benefits of installing an IVR in your office. There are different services available and you can get technical services from support engineers.

Why You Should Choose A Local VoIP Hosting Service


Posted on by

7754574394_acdea196f6

Using hosted services has become very popular as companies look for ways to get the best service without investing in costly infrastructure. Hosted VoIP is a virtual phone system that allows you to make calls using your internet connection. The calls between your VoIP handsets are free, meaning that you can communicate with your colleagues from any location at no cost. With the advances in technology, you do not need to invest in the hardware as there are carriers providing the call hosting service.

There are many hosting services all over the world and it has become quite difficult to choose a provider due to the options available. The services range from small firms that deal with local businesses, to companies that have a worldwide reach. If you are looking for quality service, it is a good idea to consider a local hosting company. There are several reasons why this may be the best option for you.

1. Good Quality of Service

The most important reason to get the service in the first place is to enhance the quality of your business operations. When you use a local service provider, you benefit from the best quality. It is important to know that network problems can occur at any time and it helps to have a local service because it is easier to get support services. Good customer service is a reason to get local hosting as you can get hands-on assistance from qualified technicians any time you need it.

2. Get Customized Packages

Local service providers are able to customize a package that will suit your business needs. This means that you do not have to settle for a “one-size-fits-all” system. Customization is very important especially when you are trying to get efficiency. Because your business is unique and you have unique needs, you should expect to get customized services. You also benefit from flexibility, which means that you can get additional customization as your business grows or changes.

3. Get Professional Installation

Another good reason to choose local hosting is that you benefit from professional installation. While an international provider might leave you to install any hardware yourself, the local service will provide the professional installation that you need. You also benefit from after sales support because it is convenient for the technicians to get to you. The local companies will send an on-site technician to install the equipment and they also carry out testing where necessary. This means that you do not have to worry about paying for separate installation services.

When you get the best hosted VoIP service, you benefit from total flexibility because you can choose where to work. The fact that your calls are routed online means that you do not have to worry about being in the office to wait for important calls. This also means that employees can work conveniently from any location and they can attend to customers efficiently at any time. This is a great way to provide an enhanced customer experience for all your clients.

Does Your Firm Require A Good Set Of Virtual Call Center Software?


Posted on by

Any company large or small can benefit hugely from a good virtual call center software application. This sort of a software application is excellent when it comes to controlling and managing calls from the clients or even field based workers. Although a few firms work on projects that have only a few clients, the majority product and service suppliers rely on large customer bases and fully working virtual call center solutions, for example Interactive Voice Response (IVR)that are used to manage calls from the customers.

Where utilize a call center solution to manage calls from the customers?

5597967919_687e8b5a6d

There are multiple reasons to make use of a call center solution such as IVR to help manage calls form and to clients on your behalf. Sales in particular are a good reason for making use of a good call center solution. Another good reason is to do with technical assistance and customer service. In this regard, the majority of companies want to market a single contact telephone number, often as a free phone. However, as the number of calls to this free number grows, it becomes quite difficult for a single receptionist to handle them alone. This calls for an alternative, which in this case is employment of a good call center software application solution.

Why employ a virtual call center solution to help manage your calls?

To start with, it is good to note that a call center has an extensive telephone technology which is needed to perfectly manage the number of calls to multiple business entities. This sort of a telephony technology is very expensive to install or manage and thus is basically above the budget of many small and medium businesses. The introduction of a software based virtual call center with IVR features makes all this quite affordable. This software application is referred to as virtual due to the fact that it replaces most of the electronic units that previously had been required in telephone functionality.

VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol)

Also referred to as Voice over Internet Protocol, this is a call center telephony solution that has become technically possible due to advances in internet technology. Both the development of quality voice calls over networks and speed of computer systems have made this a possibility. Network language used in this case is the internet protocol and the service is called VoIP. This call center solution allows clients to make calls directly from a computer or through a conventional phone connected to a special adapter or using a special VoIP phone.

PBX (Core Virtual Private Branch Exchange)

At the center of a call control system is the private call exchange. The key function of this module is routing calls from and to where they are wanted. These calls are routed to individuals and to facilities that assist to manage and control calls for instance call holding or voice mail.

Some functions of working call center solutions

• Call recording

• Call attendance

• Voice mail reception

• On hold messaging

• Automatically phone answering services

• Routing calls

All in all, call center solutions are used to manage call functions on behalf of the clients. Call centers make use of the right call recording software to help monitor and manage calls to and from customers on behalf of their many clients. They provide a means of logging calls automatically from the customers and not forgetting offering the sales department access to a well maintained customer database for outgoing call functions.

Understanding The True Value Of A Fully Working Call Center Solution


Posted on by

Any large company needs a working call center solution for customer support. Finding appropriate call center solutions is important if success to this end is to be achieved. These solutions come in form of software applications. In this regard, a good call center software application allows customers to log calls without the assistance of a human being, regardless of the time of the day or night. Through their use, a company’s management receives alert for calls that need to be fast taken care of, draw call statistics, set SLA parameters and the likes. Though sometimes a very expensive investment, a company stands to gain more by their employment in the long run.

Where can a company get a good call center customer support software application?

8524552021_b21ba7bd6b

A firm’s decision makers can search the internet for needed call center management software application. When searching for these, they should go for those that can suit the firm’s customer support requirements and the set budget. Some online call center software solution providers offer these program applications for free, while others sell theirs. To that end, some call center software applications are very expensive, others cheap, with some being in between. The choice as to which to go for is all the clients.

The majority of free help desk management call center software applications are Linux-based. They require a Linux-based web server with PHP and MYSQL installed to properly function. Most of the free call center software applications are fully functional and perform the work they are designed for like the paid varieties. However, if you want more professional call center software and that is come with more features, then better go for the priced varieties. These are well supported online by their makers or dealers and thus are a sure bet where workability, functionality and quality is concerned.

Customized call center solutions

If either the sold or free call center solutions aren’t your thing, then you can opt for customized ones. These are customizable to suit the needs of your company. Web-based call center solutions have an added advantage in that there is no need for special client side software installation. These programs are installed on remote servers and as long there is internet, they can accessed from anywhere in the world. This simply means that a company is made totally virtual through the help of these software applications. Not only this, these solutions can be used as a project management tool, allowing team members to work collaboratively on projects at hand.

Hosted call center management

A hosted call center allows a company to have agents all over the globe. The solutions in use eliminate the need to invest in expensive hardware and maintenance. Through their use, a firm has access to secure data centers proactively managed 24/7, ensuring its call center is fully operational throughout the year. All that is needed is some full functioning PCs, headsets and good internet connection, preferably broadband connection.

Outsourcing call center function

A number of companies outsource their entire call center functions to third parties. These service providers handle both the outbound and inbound calls on behalf of their clients, allowing them to focus on what they do best, which in most cases is to maximize on their profits.

Want Expert Tips For IVR Success?


Posted on by

4dee20effeeda629d0625181_640

Creating an interactive voice response (IVR) can be as simple as telling your customer to press one or two and routing them to an operator at the end of the call. But to have an effective and confusion free IVR, it requires more thought and planning. However, this does not have to be a painful process; just outline what you want to do and what you want your customers to do to ensure that the IVR is an essential feature of your business communication structure. So, how do you get that? Read on to know more…

A good IVR is short and to the point

You don’t want unnecessary questions and prompts; think about the most crucial pieces of information that should be delivered to your customers and those that you need from them. So, think about the first five important questions or prompts you want to ask of or play for your customers, and begin there. And as time goes, you may want to remove or add some prompts to ensure you have the overall quality of the IVR.

Create an effective opening prompt

Not only should you be brief, it is also important that you are concise and polite. In fact, watch out for thirty second introductions or even too many multi-syllabic words in order to make sure you are grateful that the customer or employee is calling in to your IVR.

Have your system refer to itself as “I”

Customers don’t want to hear generic system; they prefer to hear a first person IVR.

Let your callers know what to expect from the system immediately

This is especially important for an IVR that has longer than four prompts. Customers want to see the end of the tunnel, so provide some glimpse of the time it will take or the number of questions needed to complete the IVR in your introduction.

Speech recognition answers

You may want to allow speech recognition answers, but it is important to make it clear what this answer needs to be. Also, don’t confuse your customers or the system; two or three syllable responses are enough.

Be concise

In order to be concise, consider using the same language to describe the same processes or nouns throughout the IVR. Break down the different actions and names and ensure that there is consistency throughout. Don’t tell your customers to enter ‘three’ at one place and to press ‘two’ in another, you will be confusing them. Also, if you call something a menu in one prompt, don’t refer to it as a message later on.

The barge factor

You have the option to allow barge-in or not. Barge-in is not important if a customer is in a noisy place because the noise may affect the voice recognition system. But if customers are in an office or at home, you can allow barge in to speed up the IVR.

Thinking of having a superior voice and data solution? Don’t hesitate to contact Simplified Telephony solutions. We provide virtually everything you need including voice application hosting, custom IVR solutions, payment processing services and consultancy.

5 Essential Tips For Small Business VOIP Deployment


Posted on by

3183933938_311a9e282d

Today, there are a number of good hosted VoIP services for all businesses including the small businesses that rely on open internet connection. This means that they do not control the total pipe or even the connection to the switch. You can choose either the business VoIP service or hosted VoIP service if you are looking to reduce operational costs and improve your productivity. If you are looking to deploy VoIP technology, then here are few things you need to consider:

Your network

You may want to start with those things that you have control over and your network is no exception. Make sure that it doesn’t have problems that can affect VoIP calls. What you need to confirm is that you are using a DHCP router, that your computers are up and running and that your switches are in good shape before the deployment of VoIP technology. Also, check what hardware you have in place and whether it is going to support the technology in order to improve voice quality.

Check your bandwidth and other things

While bandwidth is an important aspect to consider especially now that you are going to handle simultaneous calls, it is also important to ensure that your internet connection is quality. Yes, you may want to consider an upgrade of the bandwidth if audits reveal issues with your bandwidth. If there is packet loss, then your calls are going to suffer. You don’t want a situation where there is too much latency, so make sure that the internet connection is great and stable. Most of the times, the connection from your VoIP provider has to cross several networks but it is prudent to ensure that you go for the lowest amount of hops because this way, your network won’t suffer from intermittent connections. You may want to run trace route in order to see how many other routers you have to pass and the time it takes to get there. Do this on different days and on different times of the evening or day.

Price

You could be on budget but choosing the lowest price could be a caution flag and cheap could turn out to be expensive, especially when it comes to a service. It is prudent to go for a price range that is reasonable; you will be happier at the end.

Features

The most important thing when deploying a VoIP solution is to look at the features and how the information is presented. You would rather buy time than rush into things that can create problems later on. In fact, even the smoothest deployments may have problems or won’t go as planned. So, build some buffer into your schedule to ensure that you get the right thing.

Security

While it is good to deploy new technology, it may come with security issues if you don’t put it into consideration. It is important to ensure that nothing will compromise the quality of your service. Simplified Telephone Solutions offers simplified yet superior voice and data solutions. We utilize the most advanced techniques in order to keep hackers away from your network. Contact us today for your VoIP needs.

Understanding The Benefits Of Using A Hosting Service With Static IPs


Posted on by

324389046ed03c8bad3fa8a3_640

When you run a business, it’s often important to make sure that you come up with the ideal website for it. This is an important part of making sure that the company has an online presence, which will in turn make it easier for you to market the company. However, the problem is that for most people, especially first timers, it’s difficult to pick a hosting service that will work well for a small business. Most of the hosting services out there are more or less similar, which makes this even more difficult.

However, by simply making sure that you understand the benefits of certain features, you can easily get the right product for your needs. For instance, when you go shopping for hosting services, you will notice that some companies offer static IPs for the websites, sometimes at an extra cost. This is a feature that you should seriously consider investing in, since it has a number of benefits that will suit any commercial website. Some of these include:

It makes it easier to receive files

There are times when you will need to use the site to receive large files from various sources, such as from clients. In such cases, you would need to set up a file server or an FTP server in order to make this happen. This is only possible if you have a static IP address.

It makes it easier to use other services

On the website, you might need to use other services including chat or the ability to set up a virtual private network. The latter is especially important if you are thinking of allowing telecommuting or other similar services. In such cases, the use of a static IP address for the website will always come in very handy, and is something that you should spend some money on. Of course, you can get these services if you have a dynamic IP, but the problem is that it will be a lot more complicated and prone to problems later on. Paying extra for a static one will always turn out to be a good idea.

It’s likely to be more secure

When the website has its own IP address, it makes it easier for you to get a dedicated, private SSL certificate. This is crucial if you intend to use the site for handling sensitive data, such as when you need people to use it as the portal for payment when they buy items off your website. Doing this protects your customers from any harm, and also reduces the chances of your site being associated with high risk, which will scare people from using it at all.

As you can see, there are numerous benefits associated with using a static IP address when starting your business website. The next time you are looking for a hosting service for this, you should insist on having this feature in order to benefit from all the above and more. Not all hosting services provide this, so you might need to pay attention to the technical details of each before signing up for them.

What Are The Most Important Aspects Of IVR System Designs?


Posted on by

4dee20effeeda629d0625181_640

In theory, interactive voice responses are a great way to provide customer care to your customers. When designed properly, such systems can easily take care of the bulk of customer requests in an automated manner, reducing the need to spend a lot of money for personnel to man your customer care desk. However, the truth on the ground is that for many companies, such systems don’t work as well as they should, and in some cases they are downright annoying to the customers. The only way to ensure that you get the most out of them is by having them designed in a manner that is practical. Some of the things you need to do in order to achieve this include:

Avoid long monologues

Most companies use the IVRs as a means of interacting with their customers in as polite a manner as possible. For instance, the first message that users encounter when calling the number might be some kind of welcome message, which is a good idea. However, you need to remember that most people who call customer service often want to be served as fast as possible. This means that when you are designing the interactive system, you should reduce the time wasted providing the user with unnecessary information. For instance, the initial greeting should be as short as possible, so as to provide them with the solution they need within a few seconds.

Don’t have too complex menus

In addition to that, you also need to avoid having too many menus in the IVR. This makes it very difficult for people to pay attention to the automated voice, and may in the end simply hang up altogether. Remember, when this happens, it will be deemed to have been poor customer service, and you may end up losing a significant number of customers in this manner. Making sure that the menu options are not too convoluted should therefore be a priority.

Design the system from a point of knowledge

When you are designing such a system, you should never do it from a point of assumption. You should first do some research about the nature of your customers, and then use this to design it. For instance, you need to find out what queries they normally have, and then design the system in such a manner that these are addressed first. This way, the customers will have no reason to want to talk to a customer care representative, which means that the IVR system will be doing the job you expect it to do in the first place.

As long as you are careful with your decision making and that you aim to satisfy your customers, you will find the investment in a hosted IVR system to be one of the best decisions you ever make. This will not only portray your company in good light, but will also ensure that you spend as little as possible in customer care. Getting this combination any other way is usually very difficult, especially for a medium sized or large business.

Learn To Make Your IVR System Almost Human-Like!


Posted on by

Using an IVR system can be very useful if you want to receive a piece of information quickly and accurately but don’t you get the feel of speaking with a “robot”? It is basically like in Star Wars and you are making casual conversation with C-3PO. Still, if you take advantage of a few tips and tricks, you can make your IVR system more human-like and more attractive. This will boost your business image and your customers will see you as a professional. Here are the best ways you can transform your R2-D2 into a courteous live agent.

11073510336_0978c0a7ca

1.    Choose the best voice out there. If you have a nice, clear voice then you can actually record yourself repeating the IVR system’s options. Once you have finished, listen to your own recordings and see how it sounds. Make modifications here and there, change the tone, speak louder, pronounce words better. Your efforts will definitely be rewarded and in no time your recordings will sound crystal clear! Or, you can also use the voice of a pretty French girl and your customers will fall in love with the sexy accent.

2.    Be polite. Although a machine does all the talking, it is a great idea to always show that you have manners. This will be a big advantage for your company and your customers will appreciate it. Insert simple expressions like “Thank you for your call!” or “Introduce a number, please” and the experience of the customers with your IVR system is going to be more humane.

3.    Opt for the touchtone method instead of faulty speech recognitions. IVR systems offer two options: you can either speak your choices or press the according buttons. Speech recognition is more attractive and elegant and in some cases quicker as well. However, make sure that your speech recognition system is top notch otherwise your clients will become frustrated. If this system cannot easily understand the words of your clients then don’t use it. The old touchtone method is much better in this case and it will not annoy your precious clientele.

4.    Offer language selection. Another smart idea is to record your IVR system’s options in multiple languages and offer your customers the possibility to choose their preferred one. By doing so, you show that you are a professional and you respect the nationality of your clients. Also, it will allow your customers to easily navigate through your IVR system by using their native language.

5.    Don’t put on trashy music. Certain IVR systems play a particular song to their clients while those are waiting to be transferred to a live agent. This is a terrible idea and if it ever was good then those days are long gone. If you would have a problem and you might be quite stressed about it, music will only annoy you even more! If your customers want to listen to music then they know best what they like. For an IVR system, plain silence would do fine.

Hopefully, these tips will help you design a great IVR system for your company. If you require professional assistance then our specialists are more than glad to lend you a helping hand by providing you with excellent IVR services at affordable prices.

IVR Systems Are Indispensable In Today’s Society!


Posted on by

IVR (Interactive Voice Response) systems are very varied and they are extremely helpful for a multitude of businesses and companies. Basically, they can provide customers with a variety of basic information and details without the intervention of a live operator. Yes, an IVR system is actually that “robot” which answers you when you call to find out the business hours of a company and so on.

7950821346_9214ffe65f

Such systems can save a great amount of money for business owners and they can also provide answers to multiple customers in a shorter timeframe. If you are interested about this then continue reading and you will find out some of the most popular applications of IVR systems.

1.    Call to find out what movies air tonight. If you want to see a nice movie with your friends or family members this evening then all that you have to do is to contact the nearby movie theater. It is very likely that you will not be speaking with a live agent, but an IVR system will take your call. You will eventually have to press a series of buttons which will direct the IVR system to provide the information you are interested in.

2.    Call to park your car legally. In a similar fashion, in certain countries you can pay for a parking spot by phone. This is usually a pretty straight-forward operation that can be done without the intervention of a human person. You call a certain company which owns the parking lot and then you will be able to pay with your credit card. This simple task can be done in a few minutes.

3.    Call to find out information about certain products. If you are interested in buying a new vacuum cleaner from a certain company then you can find out all the required details thanks to the IVR system. This saves you a lot of time and lots of money for the respective company. Also, marketers can find out important information about the preferences of the audience by creating polls related to various products and services which can be filled out by phone.

4.    Call to review your credit card statement. This is also an efficient use of an IVR system. You can call the bank which issued your card and obtain information about your credit card purchases from the past month or year and similar other important details. Same story applies if you want to refill your prescriptions at a certain pharmacy or find out more information about various flight schedules.

These are only a few examples of IVR applications but there are lots more out there. Basically, through a clever automation of a program, clients can receive the information they look for quicker and companies spend less on customer support. Of course, if you have a different kind of problem, you can always ask to be transferred to a live agent if it is necessary. Feel free to contact our company if you need more information about IVR systems. We can also help you integrate such a system in your business and save a great deal of money in the future!